PHILIP COLBERT

The in-demand contemporary British artist discusses his daily habits, style sensibilities and perspectives on art.

- Joel Chua

PHILIP COLBERT BECAME an artist when he became a lobster. An outlandish statement perhaps, if not for the exactitude with which it encapsulates the nucleus of his artistic persona and cartoon alter-ego. To be a lobster, Colbert explains, “is the freedom of art to really redefine yourself”.

Clearly, Colbert’s unorthodox mode of artistic expression has struck a chord in the art world and beyond. The late pioneering Vogue editor, André Leon Talley, famously christened him “the godson of Andy Warhol”. Beyond earning the approval of the legendary Karl Lagerfeld, the British artist’s neo-pop surrealist tendencies have also caught the attention of brands like Bentley Motors, Montblanc, Christian Louboutin and Rolex.

Colbert presented his debut exhibition in Singapore for the 11th edition of Singapore Art Week in January. The sculptural installation, organised by Saatchi Gallery in association with Mucciaccia Gallery, saw his signature lobsters come to life in a vivid splash of colour along Marina Bay.

What’s the first thing you do in the morning? 

Have a cup of green tea. It’s funny because my name is pronounced ‘Col-bear’ – with a silent ‘t’ – and I’ve always thought of creating my own brand of green tea called Silent Tea – probably with a lobster on the packaging.

What have you done recently for the first time?